Home Nations Launch New Semi-pro Cup
The respective rugby union governing bodies of the home nations have unveiled a new 24-team semi-professional club rugby tournament to be launched next season.
The British and Irish Cup will have clubs from the Welsh Premiership, Irish provinces, English National League One and Scottish Premiership One.
Teams will be divided into four pools of six, playing over five weekends during the Autumn international and Six Nations windows.
The semi-finals and finals take place on 24th April 24 and 15th May respectively.
12 English Championship clubs will compete in the tournament – namely Bedford, Birmingham & Solihull, Bristol Rugby, Cornish Pirates, Coventry, Doncaster, Exeter Chiefs, London Welsh, Moseley, Nottingham, Plymouth Albion, and Rotherham Titans.
They will be joined by the top six Welsh Principality Premiership clubs – Aberavon, Cardiff, Llanelli, Neath, Newport, Pontypridd – and three Irish provinces: Munster, Leinster and Ulster.
Completing the line-up will be three Scottish teams: top two finishers in Scottish Hydro Electric Premiership Division One (champions Ayr and the runners-up, either Boroughmuir or Heriot’s) and a team drawn from Edinburgh and Glasgow and members of Scottish Rugby’s National Academy.
Welsh Rugby Union head of rugby performance and development Joe Lydon said: ‘We are delighted to be fully involved in this exciting new competition. It will engage all our teams in the type of cross-border sporting rivalry which will generate support and help improve the standard of play in all the teams involved.’
